04 May 2016

Cartography of Artist Solidarity and Cultural Diplomacy and Self-Organized Solidarity Movements - Call for Participation

Cartography of Artist Solidarity – Narratives and Ghosts from the International Art Exhibition for Palestine, 1978
Opening: June 2, 2016, 18:00
Curators: Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti

Free School for Art Theory and Practice: Cultural Diplomacy and Self-Organized Solidarity Movements
June 3-4, 2016
Apply to participate till 27th of May: applications@tranzitinfo.hu

Cartography of Artist Solidarity is an archival and documentary exhibition that begins with an excavation of the story of the International Art Exhibition for Palestine (Beirut, 1978) and proposes a speculative history of politically engaged artistic and museographic practices in the milieu of the international anti-imperialist solidarity movement of the 1970s. A selection from the previous editions of 'Past Disquiet: Narratives and Ghosts from the International Art Exhibition for Palestine, 1978' (exhibited at the MACBA, Barcelona, 2015 and the HKW, Berlin, 2016) will be on view at tranzit .hu. In addition, Cartography of Artist Solidarity proposes to revisit the intersecting roles of cultural diplomacy, grassroots international solidarity actions, and artists roles in the 1970s and 1980s in Hungary.

The accompanying seminar Cultural Diplomacy and Self-Organized Solidarity Movements will be led by Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti, with contributions from Bojana Piskur (curator, Moderna Galerija, Ljubljana), invited local researchers and the participants. Discussions will explore the following questions: How did cultural events function as a diplomatic tools? How were cultural actors related to solidarity movements and what regime of relationships (whether official or not) was possible between artists and cultural protagonists in different countries of the Eastern bloc? The seminar will also discuss the complicated and sometimes turbulent history of the confluence of international solidarity, progressive leftist dissent, and neo-avant- garde artistic practice.

If you would like to participate in the seminar please send a 100-word description of a case study you would like to present and a 100-word bio by 27th of May to applications@tranzitinfo.hu.


Cartography of Artist Solidarity is curated by Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti, and is a co-production of tranzit .hu, HKW and MACBA. Originally this project was conceived and presented as 'Past Disquiet: Narratives and Ghosts from the International Art Exhibition for Palestine, 1978' by the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) in 2015. Its Berlin iteration in 2016 was co-produced with Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW).

The research for this project has been made possible by the generous support of Rana Sadik and Samer Younis, the Sharjah Art Foundation, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), ZedGrant, the A. M. Qattan Foundation, and Tensta konsthall.

ERSTE Foundation is main partner of tranzit .hu